ItaDei: The Hunger Games
by YaoiTora
Summary: "We could do it, you know." Kisame said quietly. Itachi raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked. "Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it." Said Kisame. Itachi didn't know how to respond. The idea was so crazy –preposterous. [I'll put in a better summary when I get more into the story.] Review! No flames please. Yaoi Don't like Don't read!


**_Warning: _**_Violence/Gore, strong Language, and possible (implied) lemon not promising though. They're on camera I'd be embarrassed having sex in front of people…hehe. ^^_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own Naruto or the Hunger Games Story line._

**_Pairing: _**_ItaDei (in later, later chapters as well *3*) and KisaIta_

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_ItaDei: The Hunger Games_

_Part I: The Tributes_

_Chapter One_

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The sun shined brightly, lighting up the bedroom, when Naruto woke up the other side of the bed was cold. His fingers stretched out, searched for Sasuke's warmth, but finding only the rough canvas of the mattress. He opened one eye to confirm that she had left to sleep with our mother, Mikoto Uchiha. _He must've had a nightmare and climbed in with mom. _Naruto thought and sighed. "Of course He did," he mumbled softly. "This is the day of the reaping." The boy propped myself up on one elbow. There was just enough light from the sun to see them. Itachi's little brother, Sasuke Uchiha, curled up in their mother's body, sleeping on her side. Sasuke's and his mother's face calm and collected. Their cheeks worn but not beaten down. Sasuke's face is as fresh and young as a lovely rose, though that's not what my mother decided to name her but that usually is her nickname. Their mother is just as beautiful. Her long raven hair and her dark eyes that matched. Their father said she was as beautiful. Or so he had told him.

Sitting at Sasuke's knees, guarding him, was the world's most scary looking cat. He had black and white fur. Most of his body was black, but his paws, chest, and stomach was white. At first Itachi had thought he was harmless and so did Sasuke when he had first showed him to Itachi and their mother. His eyes were the color of the green grass of the meadow. He had named him Chidori, which, in Itachi's opinion fit him nicely. When he saw Itachi, the cat's ears bend down and he hissed at him. Itachi scowled darkly at Chidori. "Stupid cat." he hissed. Itachi always hated this one cat, mainly because it was usually directed at him that the cat hissed at him. He'd glare at the animal secretly so Sasuke didn't realize that he didn't like the thing. The cat, after giving him a good hiss, meowed at him, telling him to move on and give him food. The raven rolled his eyes and said, "You'll get your food when Sasuke wakes up." The cat's started to wag as in anger and impatience. It was like the cat was saying something like: "Feed me or I'll claw your eyes out."

Itachi scowled and mumbled something about the cat and then swung his legs off the bed and slide into his hunting boots. Supple leather that molded onto his feet. He pulled on a pair of trousers and a black t-shit with a black jacket just in case it would get cold. Itachi then grabbed his forage bag and go over to get his bow and arrows to hunt with Kisame. A boy he'd usually hunted with. Sasuke didn't seem to mind. He just as a friend.

As he walked towards the exit of the house Itachi looked over to the table. On it, under a wooden bowl, to protect it from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Sasuke's gift to me on reaping day. The raven-haired teen grabbed the cheese and carefully put it in his pocket as he slipped out of the house.

Itachi's part of District 7, also known as Konohagakure, is usually crawling with coal miners heading out to the morning shift at this hour of day. Men and women with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, many who've long since stopped trying to scrub the coal dust out of their broken nails, the lines of their sunken faces. But today the black cinder streets are empty. Shutters on the squat gray houses are closed. The reaping isn't until two, though, some may sleep in. If they can. The house is almost at the edge of the Konoha. Itachi only had to pass a few gates to reach the scruffy field called the Meadow. Separating the Meadow from the woods, in fact enclosing all of District 7, is high chain-link fence topped with barbed-wire loops. In theory, it's supposed to be electrified twenty-four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods-packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears-that used to threaten out streets. But since the people were lucky to get two or three hours of electricity in the evenings, at the least.

It's usually safe to touch. Even so, Itachi always took a moment to listen for a hum that meant the fence is live. Right now, is a silent stone concealed by a clump of bushes, He took in a breath flatten his stomach and slid under a two feet stretch that's been loose for years. But this one was so close to home Itachi always entered the woods here.

As Itachi entered the woods he stayed low so that the peacekeepers won't see him. Trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carries severest penalties, more people would risk it if they had weapons. But most are not bold enough to venture out with just a knife. Itachi's bow was a rarity, crafted by his father along with a few others that he kept well hidden in the woods carefully wrapped in waterproof covers. His father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he'd have been publically executed for inciting a rebellion.

Most of the peacekeepers turn a blind eye to the few of us who hunt because they're as hungry for fresh meat as anybody is. In fact, they're among our best customers. But the idea that someone might be arming Konoha would never been allowed.

In the fall, a few brave people sneak out into the woods to harvest apples. But always in sight of the Meadow. Always close enough to run back to safety of District 7 if trouble arises. "District seven, where you can starve to death in safety." The raven muttered. Then he glance quickly over my shoulder. Even here, in the middle of nowhere, a person would have to worry if someone had over heard them.

When Itachi was younger, about eight-nine years old, he used to scare his mother to death with the things he'd burred out about District 7. About the people who ruled the country of Fire, from the far-off city called the capital. Eventually, he understood that saying things like that about the district and the rulers (or if you want to be technical-elders), would lead District 7 to trouble.

He (Itachi) learned to hold his tongue and to turn his turn his features into an indifferent mask so no one could read his thoughts. He did his work quietly in school, make only polite small talk in the public market, and discuss little more than trades in the Hob, which is the black market where Itachi made most of his money. Even at home, where the blonde was less pleasant, he avoided discussing tricky topics. Like the reaping, or food shortages, or the Hunger Games. Sasuke might even repeat his words, Itachi thought, then where would they be?

In the woods, waited the only person with whom Itachi could be himself. Kisame Hoshigaki. He could feel the muscles in his face relaxing, his pace quickening as he climbed the hills to their place, a rock ledge overlooking a valley. A thicket of berry bushes that protected it from unwanted eyes. The sight of him waiting there brought on a smile to his face. Kisame said Itachi never smiled, except in the woods.

"Hey," Kisame chimed happily thought it was low. He had blue skin that was almost white. His eyes were a clear blue, brighter than the sky. Kisame's hair was a darker blue or so Itachi had thought. In the sunlight it would shine and look to be blue.

"Look what I got." Kisame held up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it. Itachi chuckled. It was real bakery bread, not the flat, dense loaves they made from their grain rations. The raven took the loaf of breath in his hands, pulled out the arrow, and held the puncture in the crust to my nose, inhaling the fragrance that made his mouth flood with saliva. _Fine bread like this is for special occasions. _Itachi thought.

"Mm, still warm," he mumbled. Kisame must have been at the bakery at the crack of dawn to trade for it. "What did it cost you?" The other shrugged scrunching her nose slightly. "Just a squirrel." He replied. "Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning." He continued. "Even wished me luck."

"Well, we all feel a little closer today, don't we?" Itachi asked, not bothering to roll his eyes. "Sasuke left us a cheese." He said while pulling it out.

Kisame's face brightened at the treat. "Thank you Sasuke. We'll have a real feast." Abruptly he falls into a Capitol accent as she mimics, Tsunade Senju, the fifty-three year old drunk with a gambling problem, who arrives once a year to read put the names at the reaping. "I almost forgot! Happy Hunger games!" she chimed and plucked a few blackberries from the bushes around them. "And may the odds-" He tossed a berry in a high arc towards Naruto. He caught it in his mouth and broke the delicate skin with his teeth. The sweet tartness explodes across his tongue. "-be _ever _in your favor!" he completed with equivalent verve.

The two had to joke about it because the alternative is to be scared out of the mind. Besides, the Capitol accent is so affected almost anything sounds funny in it. Itachi watched Kisame pull out his knife and sliced the bread. _He could be my sister, _he thought. His dark hair, pale skin. However, Itachi had ebony eyes and Kisame had blue.

That's why Itachi's family always looked out of place. They are. Itachi and Sasuke's mother, Mikoto's parents were part of the small merchant class that caters to officials, peacekeepers, and the occasional Konoha customer. They ran an apothecary shop in the nicer part of District 7. Since almost no one can afford doctors, apothecaries, are their healers. Itachi's father, Fugaku Uchiha, got to know his mother because on his occasional hunts, he would sometimes collect medicinal herbs and sell them to Kushina's shop to be brewed into remedies.

_She must have really loved him to leave her home for Konoha, _Itachi pondered as he tried to remember that when all he could see was the woman who sat by, blank and unreachable, while her children turned to skin and bones. Itachi had tried to forgive his mother for the sake of his and Sasuke's father. But to be honest, Itachi wasn't the forgiving type.

Kisame spread the bread slices with the soft goat cheese; carefully placing a basil leaf on each while the blonde stripped the bushes of their berries. They settled back in a nook in the rocks. From this place, they were invisible but have a clear view of the valley, which was teeming with summer life. Greens to gather, roots to dig, and fish to iridescent in the sunlight. The day was glorious, with a blue sky and a soft breeze. The food was wonderful, with the cheese seeping into the warm bread and the berries bursting into their mouths.

Everything was perfect, Itachi thought, if this was really a holiday, if all the day of meant was roaming the mountains with Kisame, hunting for the night's supper. But instead they'd have to stand in the square at two o'clock waiting for the names to be called out.

"We could do it, you know." Kisame said quietly. Itachi raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked. "Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it." Said Kisame. Naruto didn't know how to respond. The idea was so crazy –preposterous. "If we didn't have so many kids," she added quickly. They weren't kids, of course, but they might as well be. Sakura's two little cousins and their sister. Plus Karin. And throw in their mothers too because how would they live with out them? Who would fill those mouths that are always asking for more?

With both of them hunting daily, there are still nights when game has to be swapped for lard and shoelaces or even wool. When they have to go to bed with stomachs growling.

"I never want to have kids," Itachi said shaking his head. Kisame gave a short shrug. "I might. If I didn't live here." he said. Itachi looked irritated now. "But you do." _With me, _he added mentally. Kisame glared at him and snapped back, "Forget it."

The conversation felt wrong. Leave? How could Itachi leave Sasuke, who was the only person in the world he was certain he loved? And Kisame was devoted to her own family. They couldn't leave them, so why bother talking about it? _And even if we did,_ the raven thought grimly trailing his thoughts off slightly. _Where did the stuff about having kids come from?_ He asked himself. There had never been any romance between him and Kisame. When they met, Itachi was a skinny twelve year old, and although Kisame was only two years older, the blonde already looked like a man. It took a while for him and Kisame to even become friends with out tearing each other apart over every trade. Kisame being the feisty twelve-year-old boy and Itachi being the one that had always lost the battle. Soon they began helping each other out.

Besides, if he wants kids, Kisame, wouldn't have any trouble with that. Finding a wife. He was good-looking, smart, and he was strong enough himself to work in the mines. And he can hunt. Itachi could tell by the way girls whisper about Kisame when he walked by in school that they want him. It made Itachi jealous but not for that specific reason people would think. Good hunting partners were hard to find.

"What do you want to do?" Itachi asked. They could hunt, fish, or gather.

"Let's fish at the lake," Kisame replied. "We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight." he said. _Tonight, _Itachi thought darkly. _After the reaping everyone in the district is supposed celebrate. A lot of people do, out of relief that their child or children have been spared for another year._

But at least two families will pull their shutters, lock their doors, and try to survive the painful weeks to come. _We make out well, _Itachi thought again. The predators ignored them on a day when easier, tastier prey abounds. By late mornings, the blonde and Kisame have a dozen fish, a bag of greens; best of all a gallon of strawberries. Itachi had found the patch a few years ago, but Kisame had the idea to string mesh nets around it to keep out the animals.

On their way, they stopped by the Hob, the black market that operates in an abandoned warehouse that once held coal. When they came up with a more efficient system that transported coal directly from the mines to the trains, the Hob gradually took over the space. Most businesses were closed by this time on the reaping day, but the black market's still fairly busy. They easily trade six of the fish for good bread, the other two for salt. Tuechi, an old man who sells bowls of hot miso soup from a large kettle, took half the greens off their hands in exchange for a couple of chunks of paraffin. They might've done a tad better elsewhere, Itachi thought, but they made an effort to keep good terms with Tuechi and his young daughter, Ayame. He was the only one who could consistently be counted on to buy wild dog. They don't hunt them on purpose, but if you're attacked and you take out a dog or two, Itachi shrugged indifferently, _Well meat is meat. _He pondered. "Once it's in the soup, I'll call it beef." The old man said with a wink. No one in Konoha would turn up their noses at a good leg of wild dog, but the peacekeepers who come to the black market can afford to be a little choosier.

When Itachi and Kisame had finished their business at the market, they went to the back door of the mayor's house to sell half the strawberries, knowing he has a particular fondness for them and can afford their price. The mayor's son, Sasori, opened the door. He's in Itachi's year of school, being the mayor's daughter, you'd expect him to be a snob, but he's all right, in Itachi's opinion. Like him, he keeps to himself. Since neither of them really has a group of friends, Itachi and Sasori seemed to end up together a lot at school, eating lunch, sitting next to each other at assemblies, and collaborating for sports activities. They rarely talked, which suits them both just fine.

Today an expensive white shirt with black dress pants had replaced his drab school outfit, and his red hair all neatly brushed. _Reaping clothes, _Itachi thought.

"Nice outfit," Kisame commented with a smirk.

Sasori shot him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if he's just being ironic. It _is _a nice outfit, though, but he would never wear it ordinarily. "Well, If I end up going to the Fire County, I want to look nice, don't I?"

Now it was Kisame's turn to be confused. _Does he mean that? _He asked himself, _I'm guess the second. _"You won't be going to the Fire Country," Kisame responded coolly.

His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns his outfit. Real gold, Itachi thought, beautifully constructed. It could keep a family in bread for months. "What can you have? Five entries?" Kisame asked. "I had six when I was just twelve years old."

Itachi felt his eye twitch slightly. _He seems so confident in that…_ he thought. "That's not his fault." Itachi said, in defense of Sasori. Kisame shrugged.

"No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is,"

Sasori's face became closed off. He puts the money for the berries in Itachi's hand. "Good luck, Itachi."

"You too," the raven replied and the door closed.

-oOo-

They walked towards Konoha in silence. Itachi didn't like that Kisame took a dig at Sasori, but he's right, he thought, of course. The reaping system is unfair, with the poor getting the worst of it. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve. That year, your name is entered once. At thirteen twice. And so on until the day, you turn eighteen. _That's true for every citizen in all twelve districts in the entire country of Fire._

However, there's a catch, say a person, a young girl, poor and starving as the people of District 7 were. She can opt to add her name more times in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meager year's supply of grain and oil for one person. She may do this for each of her family members as well. Therefore, at the age of twelve, Itachi had his name entered four times. Once because he had to, and three times for tesserae for grain and oil for, himself, Sasuke, and their mother. In fact, every year he had to do this. Moreover, the entries are cumulative. So now, at the age of sixteen, Itachi's name will be in the reaping every twenty times. Kisame, who is eighteen and has been either helping or single handedly feeding a family of five for seven years, will have his own name in the forty-two times.

You can see why someone like Sasori, who had never been at risk of needing a tessera, can set him off. The chance of his name being drawn is very slim compared to those who live in Konoha. Not impossible, but slim. Moreover, even though the rules were set be the Capitol, not the districts, certainly not Sasori's family, it's hard not to resent those who don't have to sign up for tesserae.

Kisame knew his anger at Sasori was misdirected. On other days, deep in the woods, Itachi had listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in their district. A way to plant hatred between starving workers of Konoha and those who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure they will never trust one another. "It's to the Capitol's advantage to have us divided among ourselves." Kisame might have said if there were no ears to hear but Itachi's own. If it wasn't reaping day. If a boy with a gold pin and no tesserae had not made what Itachi was sure he thought the comment was a harmless comment.

As they walked, Itachi glanced over at Kisame's face, still smoldering underneath his stony expression. His rages seem so pointless to Itachi, although, he had never said so. It's not that Itachi didn't agree with him. He did. Nevertheless, what good is yelling about the Capitol in the middle of the woods? It won't change anything. It won't make things fair. It won't fill people's stomachs. In fact, it scares off the nearby game. Itachi had let him yell though. _Better he does it in the woods than in the district_, he thought, smartly.

Kisame and Itachi divided their spoils, leaving two fish, a couple of loaves of good bread, greens, a quart of strawberries, salt paraffin, and a bit of money for each. "See you in the square," Itachi mumbled.

"Wear something pretty," Kisame replied flatly but he winked at Itachi who scowled darkly.

-oOo-

At home, Itachi found his mother and Sasuke all ready to go. His mother, Mikoto, wore a fine dress from her apothecary days. Sasuke wore Itachi's first reaping outfit, a dress shirt with a collar, buttons going down the middle, and black dress pants. It was big on him but Mikoto made so it had shrunk in the wash. Even so, he was having trouble with keeping the shirt tucked in the back.

A tub of warm water waits for him; Itachi scrubbed off the dirt and sweat from the woods and even washed his hair. To his surprise, Mikoto had laid out one of their father's formal outfits for him. It was the same as Sasuke's only the dress pants were of a dark blue. "Would you like some help, dear?" she asked.

"No, thank you, mom." Itachi shook his head rejecting the offer. Mikoto stayed silent for a moment as she walked towards the door. "Are you sure?" she asked again.

"Not yet, but with my hair," Itachi said putting on his shirt. Mikoto smiled and chuckled softly. "Of course, I'll braid it if you like?" she offered. Itachi was trying to get past rejecting any offers from her, though that didn't turn out so well when he did for the help with his shirt. He could handle that. His hair, however, when it was wet, was an entire different story. For a while, he was so angry, he wouldn't allow her to do anything for him. Moreover, this was something special. These clothes were specifically of what his father had worn and were very precious to her even if he (Fugaku) was just a memory now.

Itachi made a face at this. "Ah, no, can you brush it and put it in a normal ponytail?" He asked. "If Kisame saw me with a braid he'd call me a girl in three seconds flat." It was true and that was why he had stopped put his hair in a braid. It seemed pointless to though. It would never cooperate with him. His mother chuckled and nodded.

"Sure, sweetheart." She replied grabbing the brush and gesturing Itachi to sit down on the bed. He could hardly recognize himself in the cracked mirror that leaned against the wall.

"You look handsome," Sasuke commented in a hushed voice.

"And nothing like myself," Itachi replied and hugged his little brother, because he knew these next few hours will be terrible for him. His first reaping. He was about as safe as you can get, since she's only entered once. Itachi wouldn't have let him take out tesserae. However, he was worried about him (Itachi). That the unthinkable might happen.

Itachi had protected Sasuke in every way he could, however, he was powerless against the reaping. The anguish he had always felt when Sasuke was in pain welled up in his chest and threatens to register on his face. Itachi noticed his brother's shirt has pulled its way out the back again and Itachi forced himself to stay calm. "Tuck you tail in, duckling," Itachi said smoothing the shirt back in place.

Sasuke giggled and gave Itachi a small, "Quack."

"Quack yourself," Itachi said with a light laugh. The kind only Sasuke could get out of him. "Come one let's eat." He said and planted a quick kiss on the top of Sasuke's head.

The fish and greens were already in a stew, but that would be for supper. They decided to save the strawberries and bakery bread for this evening's meal, to make it special, they say. Instead, they drank the milk from Sasuke's goat, Shinobi, and eat the rough bread made from the tessera grain, although, no one has much appetite anyway.

At one o'clock, Itachi, Sasuke, and their mother head for the square. Attendance was mandatory unless you are on death's door. This evening, officials will come around, check, and see if this is the case. If not you'll be put to prison.

It's not too bad, Itachi thought, really that they hold the reaping in the square – one of the few places in District 7 that can be pleasant. The square's surrounded by shops, and on public market days especially if there's good weather, it has a holiday feel to it. Nevertheless, despite the bright banners hanging on the buildings, there's an air of grimness. The camera crew perched like buzzards on rooftops, only added to the effect.

People filed in silently and sign in. The reaping was a good opportunity for the Capitol to monitor the population as well. Twelve-eighteen year were herded in to roped areas marked off by ages, the oldest in the front, the young ones, like Sasuke, towards the back. Family members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another's hands. However, there were others, too, who have no one they love at stake or who no longer care, who slip among the crowd, taking bets on the two kids whose names would be drawn. Odds are given on their ages, whether they're Konoha or merchants, if they breakdown and weep. Most refuse dealing with the racketeers but carefully, carefully. These same people tend to be informers, and who hasn't broken the law? Itachi could have been shot on a daily basis for hunting, but that appetites of those in charge protect him. Not everyone can claim the same.

Anyway, Kisame and Itachi agreed that if one of them have to choose between dying of hunger and a bullet in the head, the bullet would be much quicker.

The space gets tighter, more claustrophobic, as people arrive. The square's quite large, Itachi thought, but not enough to hold District 7's population of about eight thousand. Latecomers are directed to the adjacent streets, where they can watch the even screens as it's televised live by the state.

Itachi found himself standing in a clump of sixteens from Konoha. They all exchanged terse nods then focus their attention on the temporary stage that is set up before the Justice Building. It holds three chairs, a podium, and two large glass balls, on for the boys, and one for girls. Itachi stared at the paper slips in the boys' ball. Twenty of them have Itachi Uchiha written on them in careful handwriting.

Two of the three chairs fill with Sasori's father, Mayor Shirogane, who's a tall, balding man, and Tsunade Senju, District 7's, fresh from the Capitol with her scary temper, drinking and gambling problem, and her long green robe with a white kimono and trouser pants, plus her high heel shoes that were sandals. Her blonde hair was tied into two pigtails with a small diamond shaped jewel in the middle of her forehead. Itachi didn't think much of it, but her had heard his mother comment once, that her breasts were too big for comfort. Itachi ignored the memory and focused on the reaping instead. They murmur to each other and then look with concern at the empty seat.

Just as the town stroke two, the mayor stepped forward up to the podium and begins to read. It was the same story every year. He told the history of the Fire Country, the country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called Konohagakure, which was the district's name anyway. He listed the disasters, the storm, fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained. The result was the Fire Country being what it was now, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which was brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as a yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave them the Hunger Games.

The rules were simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy or two boys or two girls called, tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death, the last tribute standing wins.

_Taking the kids from the districts, forcing them to kill on another while their loved ones back home watch, _Itachi thought grimly. _The Capitol's way of reminding us, how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. _Whatever words they use, the real message is clear.

"Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there's nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen."

To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires all people of the districts to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting ever district against the others. The last tribute alive receives a life of ease back home, and their district will be showered with prizes, largely consisting of food. All year, the Capitol will show the winning district gifts of grain and oil and even delicacies like sugar while the rest of the districts battle starvation.

"It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks," Intones the mayor.

Then he begins to read the list of past District 7 victors. In the seventy-four years, the district had exactly two. Only one is still alive. Kakashi Hatake, a paunchy, middle-aged man who at the moment appears to be reading a book as he walked on the stage and sits in the chair. His has feathery silver hair that falls to the right side. He wore a mask that covers his nose along with his mouth, along with an eye patch over his right eyes. Itachi thought he must've had a wound there and he decided to cover it because of the pain of killing people was too much to bear. On the other hand, maybe it was just something else.

Kakashi looked up from his book to the crowd confused as they applause as a token. The man simply shrugged and went back to his book only to have Tsunade smack him upside the head. She mumbled something that Itachi couldn't really make out seeing as she was too far away and he couldn't really read lips as well.

The mayor looked distressed. Since all of this is being televised, right now, District 7 is the laughing stock of the Fire Country, and he knew it. He quickly tried to pull the attention back to the reaping by introducing Tsunade Senju.

To Itachi's surprise, she wasn't drunk, but she was certainly hot headed. One little move could set her off in minutes. The blonde haired woman walked up to the podium and gave her signature, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever _in your favor."

She cleared her throat and began going on about what an honor it is to be in District 7, although every knew she's just aching to get bumped up to a better district where they have proper victors, not drunks or perverts who molest you in front of the entire nation.

Through the crowd, Itachi spotted Kisame looking back at him with a ghost of a smile. As reapings go, this on at least has a slight entertainment factor. Nevertheless, suddenly Itachi found himself thinking of Kisame and his forty-two names in the big glass ball and how the odds are not in his favor. Not compared to many of the boys. Moreover, maybe Kisame was thinking the same thing about himself, because his face darkened and he turned away. "But there are still thousands of slips," Itachi wished he could whisper to Kisame.

It was time for the drawing, Tsunade Senju said as she always does. This year was different though, Itachi realized, they were to pick two boys from a district. Tsunade crosses to the glass ball with all the boys' names. She reached in, digs her hand deep into the ball, and pulled out a slip of paper. Itachi felt nauseous and so desperately hoped that it was not him, not him, not_ him_.

Tsunade crossed back to the podium, smoothed the slip of paper, and reads out the name in a clear voice. And it wasn't Itachi.

It's Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

**_TBC..._**

* * *

_O_O Crap, that's was a lot to write! Oh well! I finished the first chapter completely. So you guys can read it or re-read it from start to finish. The next chapter will of course, take just as long as this one plus I'm in the process of writing the 12th chapter of "Murder Romance" The 11th one is finished, I just have to upload it. =3. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried my best with putting it into the third person point of view. So, yeah, review! No flames please. Bye~!_

_-YaoiTora =3_


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